Container



CONTAINER Original Filed Dec. 1; 1949 N V EN TOR. Jar Gf L/w/vs ron/5 A T TORNE Y United States Patent 'O CONTAINER Jay G. Livingstone, Akron, Ohio Application May 27, 1952, Serial No. 290,227, now Patent No. 2,743,844, dated May 1, 1956, which is a division of application Serial No. 130,432, December 1,

This invention relates to an improved pouring spout for bottles or other vessels containing liquids, Vessels equipped with the new spout, and molds used in manufacturing the spout.

The spout is designed to prevent liquid from running down or collecting ou the outside of the Vessel after a pouring operation is completed. A closure cap is provided which in combination with the spout returns to the vessel all liquid splashed or spilled from the vessel into the pouring spout as soon as the vessel is brought to an upright position after being shaken or upset.

This improved spout comprises an outlet passage for liquid surrounded, preferably concentrically, by a channel which slopes downwardly to the back of the spout. When .the vessel is tilted to pouring position liquid flows along the front side of the outlet passage lip at its outer end. The opposite side or back of the outlet passage is open at least at the bottom. This opening connects the channel with the interior of the passage toward a pouring .and the vessel. When a pouring operation is completed and the vessel is returned to the upright position, the channel collects the liquid which drips from the pouring -lip or runs down the outside surface of the outlet passage and returns it by gravity iiow through the said opening in the back of the outlet passage to the interior of the vessel.

The closure cap tits tightly onto or around the wall of the channel. If the 'covered vessel is upset, all liquid spilled fro-mit is collected in the cap. When the vessel is returned to the upright position, the liquid in the cap drains into the channel and is returned to the vessel through the opening at the back of the pouring outlet. Whenthe cap is subsequently removed for pouring, the outlet and channel are as free of liquid as though the vessel had not been upset.

The spout of this invention is capable of handling any liquid regardless of its surface tension, viscosity, or other physical properties. It works equally well with milk, water, whiskey, oils, and sirups. There are no small vents or passages in it to become clogged by deposits of crystalline material, etc. which may be deposited by liquids poured from it.

In a preferred form of the invention the spout is formed as an adapter to be fashioned to a bottle, etc. It may be disposable and be designed to be used once and then destroyed; or it may be of lasting construction and be removed when the bottle is emptied and fastened to another bottle. it may be designed with various means for fastening it to a bottle or other Vessel. Adapters may be molded from plastic, for example, polyethylene, polystyrene, etc., and used on bottles containing acids, solvents, etc., to which the plastic is inert. For milk bottles an adapter made of paraffin-coated, pressed paper will ordinarily be satisfactory. The spout may be of glass and be formed integrally into the neck of a bottle or vessel. The spout may be made of metal, etc.

The drawings include illustrations of different preferred spouts. In the drawings- ICC Fig. 1 is an exploded cross-sectional View through a spout and its closure cap; and

Fig. 2 is a cross section through another spout.

The spout 205 of Fig. 1 is of flexible and elastic plastic. The ange 206 extends outwardly from the wall 207 which forms the channel 208. This ange serves as a gasket and eliminates the need for a gasket in a metal or other hard closure cap. The outer edge of the flange is turned down to form the skirt at 209 and is provided with a bead 211 around the bottom. This bead ts into a complementary groove 212 in the outer surface of the neck 214 of the bottle. The spout is applied to the neck by snapping the bead into the groove. The spout may be covered by a dome-shaped cap220 which covers the spout 205 and has a horizontal offset portion which contacts the surface 206. The cap is threaded onto threads 215 on the outside of the neck. The root diameter 216 of the threads is greater than the outside diameter of the skirt 209. The cap will seal against the top of flange 206. A bale 217 and a liquid return channel 218are provided. It is not necessary that the iiange and the bead extend continuously around the spout. They may be a number of equally spaced, individual projections and then the grooved portion of the neck will be formed with spline-like recesses to receive the projections. The spout will be fastened to the neck by inserting ythe projections into the spline-like recesses on the neck and thenturning the spout until the projections areinterlocked with the grooved portions of the neck between the recesses.

Spout 275 in Fig. 2 is designed vfor the bottle 276 which is of a type now commonly employed to ship certain chemicals. The upper portion 277 of `the'neck of this bottle is of smaller diameter than the lower portion and on the outside surface above the threads 27S there is a V-shaped groove 280. The spout is formed with a flat flange 231 which projects outwardly from the wall 282 which forms the run-back channel.

groove 280 on the neck. The wall 282 tits closely against the inside surface of the narrow portion of theneckand at the base of the wall there is an outwardly flaring bead 289 which presses against the wider portionof the neck. The spout is fastened to the bottle by pressing this wider portion 289 through the narrower portionvand snapping the bead 286 into its complementary groove 280. The spout is provided with a baille 290 and may be covered by a dome-shaped closure cap 'whichthr'eads onto the threads 278 around the neck.

The drawings indicate that numerous modifications of these spouts may be had, depending on the purpose and the types of The skirts may be made of any size and will be shaped Preferably, these spouts are molded from plastic, since What I claim is:

1. In combination, a iitment of stretchable resilient plastic and a vessel with a neck, a groove in the outer surface of the neck near the top edge thereof, the fument having an opening therethrough adapted for the pouring of liquid therethrough with a portion of the tment located over the end of the neck and in liquidtight contact therewith and terminating outwardly in a sharp-edged pouring lip, the. itment including a skirt which extends downwardly outside the end of the neck of the vessel with a bead on its inner Vsurface engaged in the groove, threads on the outer surface of the neck below the groove and below the bottom edge of the skirt, the largest outside diameter of the neck above the groove being substantially less than the root diameter of the threads, a cap with internal threads engaged with the threads on the neck, and the largest outside diameter of the skirt of the tment being less than the inside diameter of the innermost edge of the threads in the cap.

2. In combination, a closure cap, a vessel with a neck, a groove in the outer Surface of the neck near the end thereof and a fument of stretchable resilient plastic having an opening therein adapted for the pouring of liquid therethrough and having a portion thereof located over the end of the neck and terminating outwardly in a sharp-edged pouring lip, the iitment including a skirt which extends downwardly outside the neck of the vessel with a bead on its inner surface engaged in the groove, a portion of the neck below the trnent being of larger diameter than the greatest outside diameter of the fitment and larger than any portion of the neck within the tment, and in engagement with said portion of the neck below the tment a portion of the inner surface of the closure cap, the smallest inside diameter of the portion of the closure cap below the titment being greater than the greatest outside diameter of the skirt of the itment.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which the groove is continuous around the neck and the bead is continuous on the inner surface of the skirt.

4. 'I`he combination of claim l in which the inner surface of a portion-of the cap is in pressure contact with the portion of the tment which overlies the .end of the neck whereby said portion of the fument serves as a gasket.

5. The combination of claim 2 in which the cap is in pressure Contact with the portion of the litrnent which is located over the end of the neck whereby said portion serves as a gasket.

6. A combined sealing ring and pour-out trnent for bottles and like containers, said ring being of unitary construction and formed of resilient material and comprising an annular upper wall providing a continuous flat top surface lying in a plane normal to the axis of the ring, an annular depending attaching skirt formed integral with the outer periphery of said wall and together with the latter providing a sharp circumferential corner throughout the entire circumference of the ring at the point of juncture of their exterior surfaces, and an annular internal flange directed downwardly from the inner periphery of said wall, said ilat top surface extending to said sharp circumferential corner.

7. The combination dcned in claim 6 wherein a retaining projection is formed internally of the attaching skirt.

8. The combination delined in claim 6 wherein a continuous retaining bead is formed internally of the' skirt, said bead providing an upwardly and inwardly facing shoulder in proximity to the lower margin of the skirt.

9. In combination, a bottle having a neck portion delining an axial lling and discharging opening, said neck portion including a circumferential outwardly facing rim having a surface disposed in a plane normal to the axis of the neck the outer edge of which merges in an external cylindrical surface which extends downwardly to an annular inwardly inclined shoulder, a linerless closure for the discharging opening which closure is attachable to the neck portion, a resilient combined sealing ring and pour-out itrncnt adapted to be snapped over the rim and into snug engagement with said .surfaces of the neck in proximity to the rim, said ring comprising an annular upper wall lying against the rim of the neck, an attaching skirt depending from the periphery of `said wall, said wall and skirt providing at. their juncture a sharp circumferential corner, a bead formed internally of the skirt for holding engagement with said inclined shoulder and an annular internal ange depending from the inner margin of said upper wall and snugly engaging the aforementioned inner surface of the neck portion.

10. The combination defined in claim 9 wherein the upper margin of the bead of the attaching skirt and the upper wall of the tment are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the width of said external cylindrical surface of the bottle neck whereby to place the skirt under -sufcient axial tension to securely hold the titment and bottle assembled independently of the closure.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,454,170 Hyatt May 8, 1923 2,111,186 Jenks Mar. l5, 1938 2,576,416 Randlett Nov. 27, 1951 2,664,230 Heim Dec. 29, 1953 

